JR. A HOCKEY

The Yarmouth Mariners have done it again. For a third consecutive year the junior A hockey team has finished the regular season in first place in the MHL’s Eastlink South Division.

The Mariners took the division with a 4-0 shutout over the Pictou County Weeks Crushers in the final regular season game on March 7.

The Mariners had moved into first place at the end of November but things got closer than the team would have liked as the regular season was wrapping up. Heading into their final regular season game the Mariners sat just one point ahead of the Amherst Ramblers – who they had lost 5-4 to the previous night.

With their Saturday win – and a 6-5 loss by Amherst that same night to South Shore – the Mariners won the division with 64 points and will once again play the Truro Bearcats in the first playoff round. Truro finished in fourth place with 60 points.

Amherst, which ended its regular season in second place with 61 points will play Pictou, which finished in third place with 60 points.

Rounding out the scoring in the Mariners' last game of the regular season were Carson Lanceleve (David Vaysberg);

Vaysberg (Michael Johnson, Daniel Surette); Ben Charles (Ryan Semple, Thomas

Hillier); Lanceleve (Vaysberg, Johnson).

Justin Sumarah had the shutout, stopping all 27 shots on net.

In the Eastlink North Division the Summerside Western Capitals finished in first place with 87 points and will play Fredericton in the first round. Edmundston and Campbellton will square off.

TINA COMEAU PHOTOS The Yarmouth Mariners celebrate a second-period goal scored by Ben Charles of Yarmouth during their 4-0 victory over Pictou during their last 2019-2020 regular season game. The Mariners ended the season in 1st place in their division.

Yarmouth Mariners captain Matt Barron positions himself in front of the Pictou net in the team’s last regular season game on March 7. In his last year with the team Barron broke and set three regular season Mariners franchise records for most games played, most assists and most points.

Ben Charles, of Yarmouth, scored in the second period to put the Mariners up 3-0 over Pictou in their last regular season game before heading into playoffs. Assisting on Charles’ goal was Ryan Semple, also from Yarmouth, and Thomas Hillier.

The Yarmouth Mariners congratulate their goalie Justin Sumarah on his 4-0 shutout over Pictou in the team’s final regular season game.